League response to comments in support of bullfighting

Responding to reports that UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said the ban on bullfighting is 'political correctness gone mad', Chris Luffingham, Director of Policy, Communications and Campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said:

“If it’s true that Boris Johnson has defended bullfighting, then it’s not political correctness that’s gone mad. If Boris has attended a bull fight, he would have seen a bull trapped in a small arena, surrounded by a baying crowd and attacked relentlessly with lances and barbed harpoons. The bull is weakened, confused and gradually tortured to death before being killed with a sword. If Boris has actually seen this and still thinks bull fighting is justifiable, defendable or humane, then we’d be seriously concerned about his judgement.

“In Spain and other countries where bullfighting still takes place, the majority of people are opposed to it. The vast majority of people in this country are opposed to it. They have seen beyond the pathetic defence that it should continue because it is ‘traditional’. Most of us want to live in a world where humans don’t torture and kill animals for fun, not least because there are links between people who enjoy violence against animals and those who enjoy violence against people. As Foreign Secretary, it would be beneficial if Boris understood that and shared our view that bullfighting is nothing but reprehensible cruelty.”

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